


A Prelude to the Bigger Picture

by plant_boi_potter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Babysitting, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plant_boi_potter/pseuds/plant_boi_potter
Summary: A slice-of-life style oneshot in which Draco can't babysit and Harry's sense of school rivalry seems to come back to him like ducks to water.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley (mentioned)
Kudos: 39





	A Prelude to the Bigger Picture

**Author's Note:**

> This entire scenario had a basis in [this specific art piece by CaptBexx](https://www.deviantart.com/captbexx/art/Draco-meets-Teddy-472861335)

"Wait what are you doing?!" Draco squeaks as Harry dumps Teddy in his open arms. The boy squeals, wriggling out of Draco's grasp just as quickly as he's plopped into it. He watches in despair as Teddy wobbles over to Harry, a half-sprint to the door before the other man can leave. 

"With Gin away for such long stretches of time I have to do most of the childcare - which is fine - I just have to work too." Harry did not have to work. He knew it and Draco knew it too, but he was worried he'd go insane. If he couldn't sleep he could at least get out of the house and do something productive. 

"You're not even married anymore!" 

"Yeah, that too." Harry rubs the back of his neck, a nervous habit left over from his school days. He notices Draco watching him, pausing, his fingers just scraping up into his curls before he drops his hand completely, looking away guiltily; like he's a naughty child that's just been caught doing something he shouldn't be.

"Look it's only one day, I'm sure even you can handle that." Harry raises his eyebrow in a challenge, ruffling Teddy's shimmering hair as he makes for the door, leaving Draco spluttering his contentions, but not really doing anything to stop Harry leaving. 

"Oh, just to let you know now; I don't feel at all bad about doing this." With that, Harry shut the door in Draco's face, leaving him very flummoxed and very alone with a bored child trailing his heels. 

***

Harry hadn't intentionally bumped into Draco, well, anywhere. But they kept running into each other; The Three Broomsticks, Diagon Alley... they'd even met once at a Swish and Flick concert. Although Harry wasn't quite sure how much of that had been an accident, on Draco's part. Harry had described Draco as "not as bad as he was in sixth year" and that was all he'd really told anyone - predictably, it had made the headlines anyway. 

Harry also hadn't intentionally acquired one metamorphagus in the shape of Teddy Lupin. Andromeda had been shamefaced when she'd handed him over, almost like she'd failed her daughter, although she hadn't done that at all. Even she wasn't proud enough to make Teddy sick. 

And Andromeda was sick. What had started off as a chesty cough became worse as the days went on. She was cold too, in no fit state to keep a child around. At the start Harry - and later Draco - had made abundant trips, separately at first, before ending up having friendly chats at Andy's door while delivering soup (Draco) or helping with a phone installation (Harry).

He'd hoisted Teddy onto his knee and rocked him when he cried, fed him bottles and changed him. He lost a lot of sleep but it was worth it. It would always be worth it. 

***

Draco dolled out a plate of sausage and egg, ignoring the way Teddy whined about his plate being full of 'breakfast food', instead taking to stabbing the browning sausages almost viciously before cutting them up. 

Sitting down to his own meal, Draco already felt exhausted. It was only a day. He could manage a day couldn't he? And, as if in slow motion, Teddy brought his chubby little hand down on his plate, half eaten egg sliding to the floor as the plate tossed it high in the air. 

"Fuck." He said it before it really had time to register that the word had passed his lips. Levitating the plate over to the sink, Draco let a scouring charm deal with the damage to the floor. The hardwood had chipped where the plate had landed only seconds before. If Draco had only been a second faster he could have arrested the flying food, and maybe saved the plate in the process. Draco pushed his fingers through his hair. 

"Daddy says that's a bad word."

Double fuck. He'd hoped Teddy hadn't heard. _I hate you, werewolf baby_ Draco thought, reaching out to swipe the cutlery away from the boy before he started playing drums on the counter-top. 

"He's not- never mind. Don't repeat that. Got it?" The exasperated tone isn't directed at Teddy but Draco feels a roiling in his stomach when Teddy's face fell. "I'm sorry Teddy. I'm not disappointed in you, I'm disappointed in me. I shouldn't have said a bad word. Please don't tell your dad?"

Teddy nods solemnly, hands clasped in front of him like an angel, elbows planted firmly on the table. The wicked grin on his face gives him away in an instant.

Tripple- Draco cuts the thought off before it can form, instead pasting on a smile and taking Teddy's hand. "How about we go and get you ice cream from the nice man down the road?" Draco crosses the fingers on his other hand behind his back. Fortescue's can fix everything, right?

***

"Uncle Draco taught me a word."

"Did he poppet? What was it?"

"Fuck!" Teddy says proudly, a smile stretched like sunshine across his face.


End file.
